The Tarnhelm is a magic
helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
in
Richard Wagner's ''
Der Ring des Nibelungen
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the '' Nibe ...
'' (written 1848–1874; first perf. 1876). It was crafted by Mime at the demand of his brother
Alberich In German heroic legend, Alberich () is a dwarf. He features most prominently in the poems ''Nibelungenlied'' and ''Ortnit''. He also features in the Old Norse collection of German legends called the Thidreksaga under the name Alfrikr. His name me ...
. It is used as a
cloak of invisibility
A cloak of invisibility is an item that prevents the wearer from being seen. In folklore, mythology and fairy tales, a cloak of invisibility appears either as a magical item used by duplicitous characters or an item worn by a hero to fulfill a qu ...
by
Alberich In German heroic legend, Alberich () is a dwarf. He features most prominently in the poems ''Nibelungenlied'' and ''Ortnit''. He also features in the Old Norse collection of German legends called the Thidreksaga under the name Alfrikr. His name me ...
in ''
Das Rheingold
''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...
''. It also allows one to change one's form:
*Alberich changes to a dragon and then a toad in ''Das Rheingold'', Scene 3.
*
Fafner changes to a dragon after the end of ''Das Rheingold'' and appears thus in
Siegfried Act II. (It is never made clear whether Fafner actually used the Tarnhelm to transform, or simply transformed as many giants and gods did in the myths. There is also no Tarnhelm present in the original
Andvari
In Norse mythology, Andvari ( 12th c. Old Norse: ; "careful one") is a dwarf who lives underneath a waterfall and has the power to change himself into a pike (gedda) at will.
Andvari had a magical ring Andvaranaut, which helped him become w ...
myth from
Reginsmál
''Reginsmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Reginn') is an Eddic poem interspersed with prose found in the Codex Regius manuscript. It is closely associated with ''Fáfnismál'', the poem that immediately follows it in the Codex, and it is likely tha ...
in the
Poetic Edda
The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic med ...
from which Wagner drew inspiration for this scene.)
*
Siegfried changes to
Gunther's form in ''
Götterdämmerung
' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as ...
'' Act I, Scene 3.
Finally, it allows one to
travel long distances instantly, as Siegfried does in ''Götterdämmerung'', Act II.
The stage directions in ''Das Rheingold'' and ''Siegfried'' describe it as a golden chain-mail helmet which covers the wearer's face.
In politics
''Nacht und Nebel'' ("Night and Fog") was a directive of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
on 7 December 1941 that was originally intended to remove all political activists and resistance "helpers"; "anyone endangering German security" throughout
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
's occupied territories. The name was a direct reference to a magic spell involving the "''Tarnhelm''" ("stealth helmet") from Wagner's ''
Rheingold''.
In popular culture
*The 1957 Warner Bros. cartoon ''
What's Opera, Doc?
''What's Opera, Doc?'' is a 1957 American Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on July 6, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
The story features Elmer cha ...
'', a comedy on opera in general and Wagner's Ring Cycle in particular, has Elmer Fudd wearing a magic helmet that is meant to suggest Tarnhelm.
*The ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
'' game includes a magic item called the ''helm of teleportation'' (Gygax & Arneson, 1974 D&D Volume 2, p. 37), which functions like Siegfried's use of the Tarnhelm in Act II, Scene 2.
*In Marvel's ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
'' an adaption was done of the Ring Cycle, in which the Tarnhelm appeared.
*The Tarnhelm is an integral part of
Michael Scott Rohan's ''Winter of the World'' trilogy, which repurposes many Norse myths.
*The main character in
Brenda Clough's novel ''How Like a God'' can psionically obstruct other people from seeing him, a process he refers to as "tarnhelm".
*The Tarnhelm is an item found in the PC game ''
Diablo II
''Diablo II'' is an action role-playing hack-and-slash video game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2000 for Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, and macOS. The game, with its dark fantasy and horror the ...
''.
*Operation Tarnhelm is the name of the expansion pack for the PC strategy game Naval War: Arctic Circle, which features new stealth units supposedly invisible to radar.
*In ''The Lord of the Rings'', Eowyn adopts the name "Dernhelm" when she masquerades as a man before slaying the Witch-King of Angmar; "Dernhelm" is the Old English equivalent of "Tarnhelm".
[Peter Gilliver, '' The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary,'' p. 103.]
See also
* Huliðshjálmr (concealing helmet) of
Norse dwarves
A dwarf () is a type of supernatural being in Germanic folklore, including mythology. Accounts of dwarfs vary significantly throughout history however they are commonly, but not exclusively, presented as living in mountains or stones and being sk ...
*
Fafnir's helmet
Aegis
The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...
References
{{Der Ring des Nibelungen
Helmets
Mythological clothing
Magic items
Der Ring des Nibelungen